电疗 (diàn liáo) — electrotherapy

Definition

noun
electrotherapy

Examples

  • 电疗。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì tā yòng diàn liáo zhì liáo tā de yāo tòng.
    The doctor advised him to use electrotherapy to treat his back pain.
  • 电疗。
    Zhè zhǒng diàn liáo duì huǎn jiě jī ròu téng tòng hěn yǒu xiào.
    This type of electrotherapy is very effective for relieving muscle pain.
  • 电疗。
    Tā zài kāng fù zhōng xīn jiē shòu le yí gè yuè de diàn liáo.
    He received electrotherapy for a month at the rehabilitation center.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

电diànelectricity
疗liáotherapy

电 means electricity and 疗 means therapy; together they mean treatment with electricity.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn電diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

Open 电 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 療; 疗 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèdisease
Sound part声符shēngfú
尞
尞liáo療liáo
Same sound today

The traditional form 療 has 疒 for disease and 尞 for the sound; the simplified 疗 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical ones.

Open 疗 →

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